Video Surveillance Guide

Earlier this week, it was revealed that a Coca Cola employee had been offering secret soft drink forumulas to arch-rival Pepsi.    Wednesday, prosecutors charged Joya Williams, an administrative assistant for the director of global brand marketing at Coke, with theft of trade secrets.

According to Stolen-Coke-Secrets Case Could Spur Review of Security Policies, “Video surveillance showed Williams at her desk going through files in search of documents and stuffing them in her bags, prosecutors said.”

Clearly, a variety of security issues contributed to the theft.  Trade secrets like confidential product formulation data may not have been well secured, and an employee with a high level of access may not have been vetted well enough.  At the end of the day, though surveillance footage was available to reveal the theft.  The surveillance video will no doubt play an important part in any trial resulting from the incident.

Police in England are testing miniature video cameras attached to the helmets of police officers, according to You’re Nicked, Live on Helmet Cam at the Sunday Times.  The hope is that the rate of convictions will increase, while paperwork will go down.  They envision that police officers will be able to replay videos to suspects on the spot:

At least 12 offenders have been punished using evidence recorded by the camera — known as the Cylon body-worn surveillance system — since it became available for individual forces to test last December.

The crimes recorded range from breaking into a car to assaulting a police officer and fighting outside a nightclub. After playing back the footage, police say all the offenders accepted their guilt rather than tying up magistrates’ time with a “not guilty” plea.

The camera setups weigh 25 ounces, and film in whatever direction the officers head is turned.  A successful initial test of ten units has resulted in the program being expanded to fifty units.  The cameras are made by a UK firm, Audax. and cost several thousand dollars each.

WFIE reports that an Indiana woman will appear in court after being arrested for stealing items from a gravesite.  Apparently, small items had been disappearing from graves at St. Matthews Cemetery in Posey County, Indiana.  Finally, police set up a video surveillance camera to keep track of the goings-on in the cemetery.  Police arrested Lucinda Jacobs, after she allegedly snatched a couple of Beanie Babies that had been placed at a child’s grave.  Jacobs did not comment to WFIE’s reporter on the motive for the apparent theft.

This is a crime with low monetary value but a lot of emotional impact.  In this case, a temporary video surveillance monitoring system cracked the case with less need for expensive human stakeouts.

As detailed in Video Surveillance Cameras Headed for Downtown Shreveport from KSLA TV’s website, that Louisiana community will be the latest to add video monitoring to its downtown area.  The purpose of the new cameras will be monitoring areas where people tend to gather, such as the Festival Plaza and the Downtown Entertainment District.  While the current plan is to cover Shreveport’s Riverfront Entertainment Area, city officials hope to extend coverage to the city’s new convention center.

The cameras will feature high resolution.  According to one official, “They tell us that you can see if you have a note in your hand. With the cameras, you’ll be able to read the writing on the note. So they’re pretty powerful cameras.”

This security initiative won’t only be electronic.  In addition to the cameras and related monitoring gear, a security/information kiosk will also be installed in the area.

This article has been out for a while, but it remains a compelling story: Big Brother’s Big Business at Newsweek.  The article details how, in a post-9/11 world, video monitoring is becoming ubiquitous:

Video surveillance has become the fastest-growing industry within the major categories of electronic security—with nearly one in four major cities in America investing in new technology, analysts say. It has more than doubled in the last five years, becoming an estimated $9.2 billion business in 2005 and expected to grow to $21 billion by 2010, says Joe Freeman, a columnist for Security Technology & Design Magazine and founder and president of J.P. Freeman, a market research and consulting firm.

 A combination of factors are driving the explosive growth in video surveillance.  The ability of cameras to operate on IP networks and for the data to be recorded on digital video recorders (DVRs) is of major importance.  In the past, dedicated wiring was needed for each camera and recording could only be accomplished on a VCR.  In addition to the digital revolution, cameras are getting smarter: now, systems can recognize exception conditions and send that video to monitoring personnel.  This allows a smaller monitoring staff to handle a larger number of cameras - a far cry from the old days of CCTV.

 Today’s smart video camera systems may even reduce the load on conventional police:

Chicago has made recent headlines with its ongoing installation of 2,000 such cameras in its downtown areas, and the city is negotiating with local businesses to link their private cameras to the city system in an effort to form a single, unified network. And many small towns—in states from California to Vermont—have begun using cameras as a way to reduce the need for on-duty officers in local police precincts.

According to the article, the number of video cameras in New York City may exceed 15,000, making it hard for any resident to escape their view.  Public opinion seems to be split - they approve of video surveillance as an anti-terrorism or anti-crime tool, but don’t like to be monitored themselves.

In Linksys Gets Physical With Launch of New IP Video Security Camera, CRN writer Jennifer Hagendorf Follet reports that the Linksys division of Cisco, best known for its inexpensive routers and other network gear, is introducing an IP-based video camera.  Targeted to sell at a street price of $299, the camera offers pan, tilt, and zoom functions, and is targeted at the small to medium business (SMB) market.

With its pan, tilt and zoom capabilities, users can control the camera’s movement and focus remotely via the Internet. Up to 10 users can simultaneously access the camera remotely. An integrated microphone also picks up and records audio.

In addition, the camera can be set in a security mode that can automatically record video and audio feeds when it senses motion and can send a short video clip via an e-mail alert. The camera also includes an Infrared cut filter that enables viewing in low-light or no-light environments when an external IR light is used.

The camera offers 640×480 resolution, and supports MPEG-4 video compression.  Linksys intends to introduce a full range of SMB security components, including remote recording and motion detection software, other suveillance cameras, and special training for its partners.

While the major intended use for the camera may be physical security, employers also use video surveillance systems to track productivity, prevent safety violations, and document workplace accidents.  Inexpensive but powerful cameras that can run over a firm’s network will make these activities easier and cheaper to accomplish.